Organisations join forces to improve learning disabilities support

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Thanks to NHS Charities Together, Newcastle Hospitals Charity and County Durham Community Foundation, local organisations have received funding of £183,000 from the Covid-19 Community Partnership Grants Programme (North East and North Cumbria). This will enable Your Voice Counts, LD:NorthEast, Skills for People and Adapt (NE), together with support from Inclusion North and Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, to work in partnership to share their knowledge and develop an equitable model of support for people with learning disabilities across the area.

Dave Woolley, CEO of Your Voice Counts, Lead Partner for the project said “We are delighted to be one of just seven projects in the North East to receive funding from NHS Charities Together. We’re very excited to be working together, and to use our shared expertise to fill some of the gaps in services and support that currently exist”.

Each of the organisations will deliver a project that demonstrates a new approach to addressing health inequalities, improving mental health and wellbeing and reducing social isolation. The projects include delivering a programme of courses and workshops to improve mental health, running sports activities to improve physical health and bring people together, working with Primary Care Networks to address barriers to accessing healthcare and working with local groups to build confidence around supporting people with learning disabilities.

They will then work together to share these approaches and support each other to replicate the projects and activities across the wider area so that everyone has access to the same level of community-based support.

Further information about the work of all the organisations involved in this exciting partnership is available at the websites below:

Your Voice Counts

LD: North East

Skills for People

Inclusion North

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust